What it’s really like to be a debutante in 2024

Haute couture gowns, dashing escorts and ballroom dancing: on Saturday evening, the Shangri-La hotel in Paris welcomed 19 of the world’s most glamorous young ladies to make their “debut” in high society. Established in 1992, the annual Bal des Debutantes has previously spotlighted the likes of actress Lily Collins, British royalty Lady Amelia Windsor, Hollywood scion Ava Phillippe, granddaughter of the former US president George H.W Bush, Lauren Bush, and LVMH heiress Delphine Arnault.

The key to the event’s success is that it has never been about launching eligible women into society to find a husband. Instead, it has been about celebrating their talents and acting as a great networking event (it is so well regarded in China, for example, that its founder was recently named in the country’s most influential people).

It also raises money for key charities, which this year included the Association of Cardiology Research from Fetus to Adult (which aims to improve the quality of care for children with heart defects at Necker-Enfants Malades, the first children’s hospital in the world) and its US mirror charity, the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.

Amongst the class of 2024 are European and Hollywood royalty (including Apple Martin, wearing powder-blue Valentino and accompanied by her parents Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin), banking and shipping heiresses and cool girls in the making. Here, three of this year’s debutantes and their mothers describe what the Bal means to them.

Lucia Sofia Ponti and Sasha Ponti

Lucia Sofia Ponti (18, granddaughter of Sofia Loren) went through almost 20 years of the Giorgio Armani back catalogue in order to find the dress she wore for the Bal, a long, strapless, black-and-white striped dress. “I narrowed it down to five in the end,” she explains. “I’m so happy with the dress that I chose – it was so comfortable and it had this beautiful, intricate detailing that felt so appropriate to Paris.”

Wearing Armani was particularly poignant for Lucia, as the designer has a close relationship to her grandmother, the legendary Italian actress Sofia Loren. “It was so special,” she says. “Knowing the relationship that they have, and also the fact that he’s an Italian designer. It felt like I was celebrating my heritage and culture in a beautiful way.”

Nonna herself is also proud that Lucia wore Armani: “There’s very little you can show her from Armani that she doesn’t adore,” shares Lucia’s mother, Sasha, also an actress. “She just thinks he has this timeless elegance; she loved the dress Lucia wore and was so proud of her.”

Lucia was also inspired by what the ball stands for. “The two charities that it supports are really incredible, and I feel like Le Bal prioritises women’s rights and female organisations,” she explains. “I think it’s done a good job of progressing with the times. Traditionally debutante balls were obviously focused on setting women up for marriage, but this isn’t.”

Sasha has mixed emotions about Le Bal, sharing she’s immensely proud but also emotional at seeing her little girl look so grown up. “My husband thought I was going to tear up,” she says. “It reminds you of those moments when she was running around in her click-clacking heels as a child, pretending to play dress-up. But we’re all so proud of the young woman she is today.”

Currently a History of Art major at Brown University, Lucia is considering switching her focus to Behavioural Decision Sciences. “It’s a combination of economics, psychology and neuroscience,” she explains. As for if she plans to follow her family into the film industry, she’s undecided. “Maybe one day that’ll be my path, but who knows – I’m focused on finishing my studies for now.”

Apollonie Halard and Miranda Brooks

“When I was first asked, I thought it was my mum playing a joke on me,” laughs 18-year-old Apollonie Halard, the daughter of British landscape designer Miranda Brooks and French interior designer Bastien Halard. “I’ve dreamed of going to a ball since I was a little girl; my 10th birthday was ball-themed!”

As a Fashion Design student at Central Saint Martins, the sheer amount of haute couture pieces on show was another major draw. “The fact that everyone is lucky enough to wear these incredible dresses is totally surreal,” she says. “It’s like stepping into a whole new dimension.”

However, there was only one designer who Apollonie wanted to dress her: Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli. Together, they settled on a long, structured pink and black couture gown. “Apollonie had gone to see the Schiaparelli collection in July, and had been fascinated by the structure of the dresses,” shares her mother Miranda. “To then find herself being fitted by them in the salon a few months later was beyond her wildest dreams. We are so thrilled that Daniel said yes to dressing her.

“And I’m so glad Apollonie said yes to doing this, despite how anachronistic it might seem,” adds Miranda. “When I was growing up we did things like ballroom dancing, but nothing on this scale.”

Oona Finch and Sydney Ingle-Finch

When aspiring actress Oona Finch first found out she had been invited to be a debutante, she saw it as an opportunity to hone her acting skills. “She said to me, ‘I’ll never have a chance to put myself into a scene like this again,’” shares Oona’s mother, Sydney Ingle-Finch. “So, for her, it was a kind of role.”

The 18-year-old wore a full-length sleeveless pink couture gown by Chanel, which took hundreds of hours to make. “It’s incredible – when am I ever going to get another chance to wear a dress like this in my life?” she says. “I went to the Salon where Gabrielle Chanel used to show her couture shows and got to look through the collections, before trying five on. I loved all of them. The one I wore has gemstones on the bottom and a big bow.”

She finished the look with ruby jewellery by V Muse, the event’s official jeweller. “I’d never worn rubies before, but they chose them for me and it’s amazing because rubies are my birthstone,” she says. “I nearly fainted when I saw the earrings for the first time – they’re so beautiful.”

The experience of the Bal – meeting so many new people from around the world – is one that Oona hopes will benefit her in her future career as an actress. “I’m very grateful that every single one of the debutantes that I’ve encountered here is so wonderful and so encouraging,” she explains. “I instantly threw myself in and made friends. I think it’s a good lesson for me for later, when I’ll hopefully be working on sets with lots of people, to listen and connect and learn from others.”

A family affair, Sydney says that watching her daughter and husband dance the waltz was one of the most special moments. “We were just smiling and laughing the whole time during the rehearsal,” adds Oona. “When will I get to dance with my dad again except for maybe at my wedding?”

The charities that the Bal raises money for are also close to Oona’s heart: “My grandfather [the actor Peter Finch] died of a heart attack,” she says. “So for this to be raising money for that is incredibly special.”